A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dispensing mechanisms, and in particular, one-by-one dispension of articles, for example, from a vending machine.
B. Problems in the Art
It is usually desirable to maximize the amount of product that can be stored in a vending machine. For a variety of reasons, there are usually practical restrictions on the size of vending machines, and therefore, restrictions on the amount of interior space available for storing an inventory of articles to be dispensed.
For example, beverage dispensers generally have relatively uniform cabinet sizes. The more product that can be stored in the vending machine, the less labor and time is required for restocking the machine. This generally results in more profit per machine. Storage space inside a vending machine is not unlimited. Such things as dispensing mechanisms, coin/bill/token validators, selection mechanisms, and other conventional vending machine components share such space. Other types of components include refrigeration mechanisms, partitions, structural members, and insulation.
Of course, other considerations have importance concerning vending machine dispension apparatus and methods. Some examples are as follows. The machine must be convenient to load and restock. Dispensing must be reliable so that only one article is dispensed at a time. The monitoring of each dispension can be important. The apparatus must be efficient and economical. Preferably the structure should be as non-complex as possible, but as durable as possible.
A common way to dispense some vendible products is to support a row of product horizontally on a tray, track, or other supporting structure, and sequentially move products in the row one by one to a dispensing location. Conveying mechanisms, such as helixes or other structure, are actuated to move the row of products along the tray or track. This type of dispensing assembly is used in the vending machine art frequently for candy and candy bars, bagged vendibles such as potato chips or shaving razors, or other relatively small and light products. It allows a number of products to be loaded into each tray or track. It generally provides dependable one by one dispension because many times it singulates each product immediately upon loading. However, each tray or track must be individually loaded all the way to the back. This can be time consuming and cumbersome. Each row, or sometimes two side by side rows, must have its own supporting structure, motor, side walls and conveying mechanism. This is more costly and uses up valuable space inside the vending machine.
In the case of cylindrical containers, such as beverage cans or bottles, many attempts have been made to meet the above-described types of goals. A common structure of using gravity to feed successive beverage cylinders to a dispensing mechanism involves the use of serpentine tracks or guides. This type of structure maintains a series of cans in a gravity-fed row. A dispensing mechanism can then more easily deal with ensuring one can at a time is dispensed. Also, such an arrangement prevents bridging or jamming of cans during the gravity feed procedure. While this works in most instances, it uses a relatively substantial amount of materials and structure in the interior of the vending machine. The structure takes up valuable space which otherwise could be used to store additional articles for dissension.
Maximization of the number of articles or products stored in a vending machine and ready for dispension can be achieved by eliminating, as much as possible, structure between articles. Dispensing systems for beverage cans and bottles exist which allow vertical stacking of cans or bottles over one another in vertical columns. A bottom supporting structure supports the vertically stacked columns. Beverage containers are stacked in vertical columns between vertical sidewalls in the vending machine cabinet. A dispensing mechanism at the bottom of each column singulates and dispenses containers one-by-one. This type of arrangement generally maximizes the use of space inside the vending machine because it minimizes the amount of structure needed to support and guide a given number of product to a dispensing location.
However, a problem with both the serpentine configurations and the vertical column arrangements is that the beverage containers must be carefully placed one after another in the serpentine row or vertical stacked columns. If not carefully placed, maximization of room is not achieved, or bridging or disruption of dispensing can be caused because of misalignment. Such careful stacking also takes valuable time for personnel stocking the machine. With regard to vertical columns, reaching to the very back of a column can also be cumbersome and difficult, especially if care in creating uniform precise vertical columns is required.
Such arrangements normally need some structure or mechanism to feed the articles to be dispensed to a dispensing mechanism. This could involve angles or ramped walls. It could involve some mechanical actuator, such as a spring-loaded or electro-mechanical pusher. Furthermore, these arrangements normally require some separate sort of electromechanical structure or system to singulate and move one article at a time to a dispensing location, and prevent any other articles from doing so. This can result in additional structure, complexity and cost. More things could go wrong. It is more difficult to maintain.
Therefore, there remains room in the art for improvement in article storage and dispensing mechanisms in vending machines.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for article dispensing which improves over or solves the problems and deficiencies in the art.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention include a method and apparatus for article dispensing that:
A. is convenient to load.
B. reliably dispenses product one at a time.
C. maximizes the amount of space within a given environment for articles to be dispensed.
D. is relatively non-complex.
E. is efficient and economical to manufacture, assemble, install, operate, and maintain.
F. is durable.
G. Minimizes number and complexity of parts, and number and complexity of moving parts.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying specification and claims.
The invention includes an apparatus and method for article dispensing. The apparatus includes an article dispenser comprising an article bay defining a space for holding a plurality of articles at least along a lower horizontal row, but possibly including another horizontal row stacked on the lowermost row. In some configurations further layers or additional articles can be placed over preceding articles in a generally vertically stacked relationship. A conveying mechanism below the space supports lower-most articles and is operable to move lower-most articles towards a dispensing location. If additional articles are stacked above the lower-most layer, some articles stay above the lower-most layer as the lowermost layer moves to the dispensing location, while some articles dispensed from the lower-most positions are replaced by gravity by articles from the space above the conveying mechanism. Eventually, all articles drop into some position on the conveying mechanism and can be moved to the dispensing location.
Another aspect of the invention is one or more article dispensers, as previously described, in combination with an article-dispensing machine, for example, a vending machine.
A method according to the present invention includes a method of dispensing articles comprising supporting a lower sub-set, for example a layer of articles, of a set of articles which are vertically stacked upon one another, and moving the lower sub-set towards an outlet while containing the other articles above the lower sub-set, and while allowing articles from above the lower sub-set to replenish by gravity dispensed articles from the lower subset.
Optionally, the method could involve a single lower layer, or a lower layer and one succeeding layer over the lower layer.
A further aspect of the method, according to the invention, includes dispensing articles one at a time according to instructions from an article-dispensing controller.